Writing Contests, Grants & Awards

The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

A prize of $1,500, publication by Kore Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a debut poetry collection by a female-identified poet. Poets who have not published a full-length collection or a...

A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Word Works, a nonprofit literary organization, is given annually to a U.S. or Canadian poet for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a...

Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a short story and an essay. Arthur Powers will judge. Using the online submission system, submit a short...